The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-02-10


But, ere the close of that eventful day,
y erwhelmed with conscious nudeness and dis
may,
He heard mis- Makers footsteps in the breeze
And hid himself among the clustered trees;
But in his ears Jehovah Numbered: "Gol
Hence, thorns and thistles in thy path shall
grow;
The fields coarse herb heneeforth shall be thy
meat;
And in the sweat of labor shalt thou eat:
Yea, through eternitys all endless strand,
Shalt feel and rue my disobeyed command
The first that ever dared to disobey
Save him to whom this day thou art the prey,
And wilt be if thou choosest not to heed
My laws and Him I'll send for this to bleed
"Tick, tick" he now first heard the solemn chime
wrick, tick" It was the knell of wasting time;
Yet more, and while he CROPPED his way along,
1t licked to him the alternatives, "right-wrong;',
And when to Heaven now he raised his eyes,
He saw the couplet written cross the skies;
on every side he saw, in every look;
But in the drift of time all thought of right
Was checked, while wrong rushed on with growing
might.
Jehovah from his throne had viewed the race,
AND viewing, vengeance gathered in his face,
And thus decreed: "lhe guilty world must
drown"
His arm omnipotent extending down,
lie gathered up the waters in his hand
And heaved the seas upon the peopled land.
His purpose wrought lie back the waters blew,
And the great Clock OF Destiny struck-II.
Yet not all perished--yet enough were saved
To seed the new world from corruption layed
Jehovah saw lingering CLEAN of right,
And that one ray found favor in his sight.
In Noah's heart was found the heavenly spark
winch spurned the waters and buoyed the ark
Which drew the smile of Heavens averted grace
And saved the seed of Adams guilty race.
And, in obedience to the great command
Now Noah was in turn to try his hand
At popping worlds-fulfll the high decree
FOR Whlch were made the heavens, earth and sea;
And in the wake of the retiring floods,
y er hills and wales, and through the silent woods
The lone household in couples wandered forth
Some southwark went, some east, some west, some
north.
Man, beast and bird at their own pleasure went,
And each one sought his sphere aud element
"Tick, tick, the Clock-"tick, tick' it ever said
licked in the born to life, licked out the dead;
licked time away with ever constant chime,
Until another destined ringing time
N When Abraham heard the great Jehovah 8 call
Which Oade nm leave his country, kindred all,
And Journey to an unknown, distant land
And did he murmur at the harsh command?
NO, there the promise was that he should rest,
And in his seed all nations should be blest-
Possess the fruitful land from to sea,
And then the Clock of Destiny struck-III.
Nov Jacobs sons conspred fraternal hate,
Which but long years of woe could expiate:
And famine, handmade of their wicked guile,
Drove Israel suppliant to the land of Nile;
Where Moses with the might of Aaron's rod
Should teach proud Pharaoh the strength of
God
Here long the chosen race their fate be-
And long in Egypts iron bondage groaned,
Iaoush from Jehovah they could hear no word,
Yet all their sighs and groanings he had heard,
Ana sent them Moses with his sword of wrath,
For their release to hew the rugged path.
They started, through the wilderness their route,
While cloud or fire served them as a scout;
But EIgypts chariots hung upon their rear.
And Israel trembled with its slavish fear.
Before them spread the waters of the sea.
Behind them Egypt's armies swarmed the lea
Yet, Forward they obeyed the high command,
And An frightened Israel gathered on the strand
When 10! both Sides the friendly floods retreat
And shrink away before their timid feet
When Egypt's host rushed in the beaten track
Deep Ger their heads the waters Numbered back
But Israel dry-shOd stepped upon the shore,
And the great clock of Destiny struck-IV'
"Tick tick it said, the Clock still labored on,
licked out the countless dead licked in the born
licked, while from Sinai's laundering, lightning
crest,
Jehovah gave to man his great behest;
licked while the mamma fell like dwelling snow,
licked down the embattled walls of Jericho,
licked while the host swept over field and food
Till the great temple on MOTiah stood;
Until that morning brought the Light of lights,
When midday stars emblazoned ,Judah's heights;
Till chanting angels lowered DER the EARTH
And to the shepherds sang the SaYiOr's birth
Proclaimed: "Ihe lost are found, the dead, alive"
And then the Clock Of Destiny struck-V.
And bark! those glad and glorious chimes still rol
| Across the Christian world from pole to pole,
And to all hearts bring peace and hope and cheer
| Which mingle with the ticking that we hear.
| The peals that ushered in that mornings ray,
| Will thunder through the hours of the day,
| And echo far and wide to every shore,
Till the great Clock of Time shall strike no more
And DER all lands her eagles are unfurled;
| Arrayed in grandeur on her seven hills,
| She wills her pleasure and does what she wills.
| Is there no power that can Rome destroy?
Where are Palmyra, Nineveh and Troy?
| They heard the knell of that same solemn Clock,
And Rome must fall from Fate's Tarpeian rock.
See yonder gathering lines Of Goth and Hun;
Already her death struggle has begun:
| No more shall she the late of nations fix
She fell, and Destiny's great Clock struck-VI.
And all was dark, the gloom of blacklist night
| Hung DER the mental world; there was no light,
| Save in the glow OF nature and the glance
Of hermits torch and knighthood's bloody lance
Both art and science fed the reach of man,
| And simple nature was beyond his scan
! Trim bafbarism, with its savage pride,
Rolled down the work Of ages on its tide,
| While the fierce might of supersttion's arm,
| Dashed down religion as a demons charm,
| But 10! light in yOn horizon far;
| II was the rising Reformation'e star,
| Which walked the human conscience, pierced the
| mind,
And man again heheld himself mankind,
Turn I'd up his blinded eyes once more to Heaven,
And the great Clock of Destiny struck-yII.
| Proud Science spread again It's gilded wings,
And newborn Reason legpsd up from its springs;
| The Bible came forth from the herInits cave,
| And Art rushed out upon the land and wave,
Till, hand In hand, and with rndaunted breast;
They found at last region for their rest
| Beyond the reach Of Supersttions chain.
| They found world beyond the trackless main,
| Where Freedom was to rear its proudest dome
And bald for all earth's wanderers home
| Yea. build the pillars of a mighty state,
And then the Clock of Destiny struck-Vlll.
And yet Oppression reached her heavy hand
Across the seas, and laid II on this land;
In vain did her grim fingers clutch, in yainl
Her shriyeled carcass whitened on the plain.
The Patriots met in Independence Hall,
Not for the ruin of Tyrian wall,
! Nor to lay waste some rival Libyan shore,
| But to proclaim their freedom evermore.
They wrought their mighty purpose and design,
And the great Clock Of Destiny struck-IX.